Power-hammer.



J. HAMILTON.

POWER HAMMER. APPLICATION FILED 3.29, 1913.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

SW :QWAQM a rmrrnn STATES PATENT orrroa.

JAMES HAMILTON, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB To FRANCIS L. PRUYN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

POWER-HAMMER.

Application filed April 29, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power-Hammers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to power hammers and particularly to steam or air-actuated hammers for driving pilings.

One of the principal objects of theinvention is to provide a hammer frame adapted to carry the operating parts and designed to be suspended in a suitable framework or tower and to be lowered as the pile is driven, the frame being provided with suitable guide-ways which engage corresponding vertical guide-waysin the tower or other support.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reciprocable cylinder carrying the hammer head and to arrange a valve mechanism to be operated by said cylinder, said valve mechanism comprising a slide valve with valve operating levers adapted to be engaged by the cylinder at the ends of its movements in both directions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very simple, strong and eflicient valve mechanism adapted to be operated by the reciprocation of the cylinder.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully described hereinafter.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the hammer; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 a hori- Zontal sectional view on the line TIIIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a plan View of the hammer; and Fig. 5 a plan view of the hammer frame with operating parts removed.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the hammer frame which is provided on its side edges with the vertical ribs 2 which form channels or guideways for the reception of the guide bars of the usual tower or other supportin which this type of hammer is usually mounted. The lower end of the frame is provided with the legs 3 between which is mounted an anvil plate 5. Said plate is preferably formed with the four arms 6 arranged at right anglesto each other and fitting between the legs ofthe frame. This anvil plate is held Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Serial No. 764,397.

loosely in position by retaining plates 7 which are bolted to the inner sides of the legs. The upper end of the main frame of the machine is open, as shown in Fig. 5, in order that the cylinder and other operating parts may be readily placed in the frame during the process of assembling the parts of the hammer. Rigidly bolted to the top of the frame is a heavy top or cap 8. Formed integral with this cap is a central depending post- 9 which serves as a rigid immovable piston rod. To the lower end of this rod is secured a piston 10. Mounted on this piston and piston rod is a'vertically reciprocable cylinder 11. The head 12 of the cylinder is formed with a depending internally threaded flange which is adapted to engage a correspondingly threaded portion of the cylinder. By this means the usual cylinder head bolts are dispensed with. In hammers of this construction the cylinder head must be very rigidly secured in position to withstand the strain occasioned by the reciprocation of the cylinder, and by threading the cylinder head to the body of the cylinder all danger of the cylinder head becoming detached from'the cylinder is avoided. To prevent the rotation of the cylinder head on the cylinder a dove-tail locking pin 13 is fitted in the cylinder head and in the cylinder, thereby locking the two parts rigidly together and preventing any independent rotation of the cylinder head. \Vhen it is desired to disconnect the head from the cylinder it is only necessary to cut through the locking pin at the joint between the head and the cylinder. When the two parts are detached the sections of the locking pin may be easily removed. The cylinder head is provided with a suitable stuffing box 14?; and the lower end of the cylinder is formed with a suitable hammer head 15 which is adapted to contact with the anvil plate 5. The cylinder is formed at its sides with vertical webs or ribs 16 which fit corresponding grooves in the hammer frame. said ribs preventing any rotation of the cylinder in the frame. I employ a pair of ribs on each side of the cylinder in order to accurately hold the cylinder in its proper position and to prevent any rotation or undue lateral oscillation thereof.

The rigid piston rod is provided with longitudinally extending passages 17 and 18, the passage 18 extending from theupper surface of the cap 8 through the piston rod, opening into the cylinder below the pistonwhile the passage 17 extends from the upper surface of the cap to a 'point" said valve seat is a slide valve 19. This.

valve is formed with an inlet port 20 and twov exhaust cavities 21 and 22. Formed in thevalve seat aretwo exhaust passages 23 and. 2-1. All of these passages are arranged close, together so that a very slight movement of the valve will be necessary in the operation of the device. Inclosing theslide valve is a box. or chest 25 which forms a suitable valve chamber; and steam is admitted to said; chamberthrough pipe 26.

The valve 19 is provided with a valve rod 27 which extends outwardly through the valvev chest or box in both directions. The outer endsof this valverod: areadapted to be engaged by: the upper endsof valve operating'levers 28 and 29., said levers being pivoted in the, main framev at 30. Each valve. operating lever is formed at its upper end with a valve rod-engaging head 31 and atits lower end with a cam-engaging head 32, both ofv said heads being rounded on their inner operative, surfaces. These operating levers are mounted in suitable longitudinally extending recesses, 33 formed in the main. frame so that said levers are protected by said frame. Formed on opposite sides of thev cylinder are beveled cams 3e and 35, the. cam 34 being formed near the upper end of the cylinder and having a cam surface 31 inclining inwardly and downwardly, while the cam 35 isnear the lower end? of the cylinder and is; formed with a cam surface 35% which inclines in-- wardly and upwardly. Thea cam 34: is adapted to engage the cam 32, ofvalveopen atinglever 29, as the, cylinder completes its downward. movement; and the cam 3.5.; is adapted to engage the head 32 of lever 28 as the cylinder completes itsupward' movement. It is. manifest, therefore, that asthe cylinder completesv its movement. in one; direction it will shift, the. slide valve to connect the inlet port thereof to the proper supply channel of the piston. rod andto connect one of the. exhaust. cavities to the proper passage to permit;v of the exhaust from. the cylinder; The valve operating levers: 28 and 29 are so. positioned and proportioned that their'upper ends will always e in contact with the ends of. theva-lve rod and the lower ends thereof will be; in; contact either with the, cylinder side orwith one of the operating cams.

It ismanifesif from the: foregoing that I produce very simple, Strong and efiieient hammer operating I means and, thatthe valve is positively operated in both directions afixed distance. It is to be noted that the parts are fixed in their" relation to each other and that, therefore, there will be. no lost motion or rattling of the parts. It will also be noted that the slide valve will have very little movement and that. said movement will be very rapid and practically at the end of the cylinder movement in each direction. By this means the entire pressure of the steam is utilized. in the driving blow of the'hammer.

In the operation of'this hammer the cylinder reciprocates so rapidly. and strikes so many blows in quick succession thatthe piling has practically. a continuous downward movement durin the driving operation. This is of great advantage, particularly in driving sheet metal piling, for the reason that the pile is driven much more,

easily if it is kept moving and not permitted to become set. It is essential, therefore, that there should be the least possible amount of lost motion in the valve and that said valve shall respond quickly to the valve operat ing mechanism. .The operating levers form positive means for accurately positioning the valve, and said levers practically form positive stops, to prevent the valve being driven beyond its proper operative posi= tion, in either direction, by thQlQVQD operating cams on the cylinder,

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. A power. hammer comprising hammer frame, a rigid piston rod extending downwardly through said, frame and formed With longitudinally extending passages, a pistonon thelower end of said rod, a cylinder adapted. to; reciprocate on said rod, the passages in said d opening; into. the cylinder, one abov and the other below the piston, a slide valveat the upper end, of the frame, exhaust ports. formed the frame adjacentthe upper end of thepi ffion rod passages, said valve controlling the ad mission to and exhaust from the piston rod passages, a valve rod connected. to said valve and extending outwardly therefrom, in both directions, valve operating leverspivoted in the; frame,.the upper ends of said levers engaging the ends of the. valve 120.61,. Barns formed on the; sides of the cylinder near opposite. ends thereofand adapted to, alternately eng ge. the opera ing: levers a th cy nd r: rec p ocates.

2-. A. po er ham e comp is ng a hammer frame, rigid; piston rod extending into said fr m r m pper nd thereof and provided with longitudinally extending passages, cams fo med. n.- epp si e side of said cylinder; near opposi e; e ds. theren i valve. operating levers carr ed y: the f am and. adapt d. to be. l ernat ly e gaged. by th cams on the cy ind s. n. t e uppar and. of: he: and. control ing. aheadmission and exhaust from the piston rod passages, and means whereby said valve will be alternately moved in opposite directions by the upper ends of the valve operating levers.

3. A power hammer comprising a frame open at its upper end, a cap secured to and closing said open end, a rigid piston rod depending from said cap centrally in the frame and provided with longitudinally extending passages, the upper surface of said cap forming a valve seat, a piston on the lower end of said cap, a reciprocable cylinder receiving said piston and movable on said rod, a slide valve mounted onthe valve seat and controlling the admission and exhaust from the piston rod passages, a valve rod connected to said valve and depending outwardly in both directions, valve operating levers mounted in opposite sides of the frame, the upper ends of said levers engaging the ends of the valve rod, oppositely disposed cams on the cylinder near opposite ends thereof and adapted to alternately engage the lower ends of the operating levers as the cylinder reciprocates, a pair of vertical guide ribs formed on the cylinder, corresponding grooves being formed in the frame to receive said ribs, and a hammer gead formed on the lower end of the cyliner. I

4. A power hammer comprising a hammer frame, a rigid piston rod extending downwardly through said frame and formed with longitudinally extending passages, a piston on the lower end of said rod, a cylinder adapted to reciprocate on said rod, the passages in said rod opening into the cylinder one above and the other below the piston, a valve at the upper end of the frame, exhaust ports being formed in the frame adjacent the upper end of the piston rod passages, said valve controlling the admission to and exhaust from the piston rod passages, valve operating levers pivoted to the frame, means operatively connecting the upper ends of said levers to the valve, cams on the sides of the cylinder near opposite ends thereof and adapted to alternately engage the operating levers as the cylinder reciprocates, whereby the valve will be moved in one direction when the cylinder is at the end of its movement in one direction, said valve being moved in the opposite direction when the cylinder is at the end of its other movement.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' JAMES HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN MCGUIRE, F. R. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

